Tragedy at Hart's Lumber Mill
A worker fell into the water while cutting logs and was trapped beneath the heavy timber; the incident was ruled an accidental death.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The body of Edward Kane, who was drowned at Hart's lumber mill Tuesday, was recovered at 1:15 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The search was conducted with the assistance of Diver J. F. Ryan. The boom was cut at the place where Kane's hat and pole were found. Captain Ryan descended and found the body in a hole, trapped by slabs and timber. Coroner Horton concluded that an inquest was not necessary and made out a certificate of accidental drowning. It was ascertained that Kane could not swim. The general theory is that Kane fell forward into the water when he cut the rope holding the logs to the piling, inhaled water, and suffocated. Captain Ryan recovered Kane's gold watch and vest after the body was raised. Funeral services will be held at St. Mark's church.
“The action of the current could have easily shifted a slab to a position over his body.”
This reflects the extreme occupational hazards of Seattle's early timber industry, where the geography of the waterfront made simple accidents lethal. It serves as a reminder of the dangerous labor conditions that drove the formation of the unions mentioned elsewhere on the same page.
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